Sushi and tea
by QueenOfNutella
Summary: Before the events of Sly Cooper: Thiefs in Time , Rioichi , the ancestor of Sly falls in love with a talented Master ninja, her thief name being "Night Claw'. Let the shipping begin! Also, I don't own Sly Cooper... Duhh!
1. Chapter 1

A long time ago , in Feudal Japan to be exact, at the Natsumi Palace a shadow crept in the building in the middle of the night . The shadow carefully leaped in the halls and avoided the guards. The raccoon finally arrived at the centre of the palace , where a katana made out of gold stood .  
''At last'' the dark form whispered.  
The shadow saw a sparkle in the room. The moonlit was playing with her crystal blue eyes she thought. But nevertheless she opened a pocket in her ninja uniform. She took three small marbles and threw them in the enormous room . They exploded as soon as they hit the floor and after a few seconds white wires could be seen.  
''Dang it , I knew it was too easy'' she mentally growled.  
Annoyed she screeched her arms and legs and jumped through the metal wires. Carefully not harming herself ,she passed . Looking at the katana that glowed like the sun at dawn , she smirked .  
''Well hello gorgeous , fancy seeing you here'' she joked .  
The shadow untied a fake katana made of cheap metal that looked like the golden sword. In the fraction of a second , she switched the objects.  
Smiling to herself that she has half succeeded , she once again passed the metal wires she made herself disappear into the night.  
- The next day-  
The beginning of June is wonderful as always and in the center of a northern city of Japan. That city is where the Sakura Tea House, the most successful to be precise. It isn't for geisha's , it was for everyone, well middle class citizens most and the rich in special parts of the inner garden. And that ladies and gentlemen is one of the reasons it's so well known. The building is a miniature white castle with three floors and a huge backyard surrounded by white walls . There is a pond, blossom threes , flowers, and the simple statues relaxed everyone that enjoyed the morning breeze along with the stone tables . Of course, when days were cold , the clients drank the renowned tea on the first floor. This is literally a piece of heaven for busy citizens that needed a break.  
On the third floor , through the balcony of her apartment, a grey female raccoon watched the citizens beginning their usual activities . Her blue night gown contrasted the morning sky and her cup of tea was being cooled off by the breeze .  
''Good morning Izumi.'' She commented and then sipped her tea.  
''Good porcelain! You scared me Atsuki '' a emerald green female crocodile breathed. She was already dressed in a ruby red kimono with golden birds on it.  
The raccoon smiled softly at her friend while leaning on the balcony .  
''Oh well, I was wandering how the heist went last night , do you have any injury dear ?'' the baby-blue eyes a the crocodile spoke more than words to Atsuki.  
Before she returned in her home town from her journey , she saved her from some bandits.  
-Flashback-

The wind of January bruised the cheeks of Atsuki. She wore the dark tunic and pants with a grey blanket. And she was freezing . As the blood dripped from her wounds she started thinking that this is the end for her. Atsuki breathed one more time and fell down on the ground.

When she woke up, she was being taken care of by a crocodile female.

'' Don't move dear , it will hurt even more''

''Ok''

After a few days , Atsuki could walk. In that time she realized she was in a poor town in the middle of nowhere. The family that helped her was a family of fishermen, and well she didn't want to be a burden to them . Her new friend, the daughter of the owners , helped her a lot. If it want for the young crocodile she would be dead by now.

When spring came she was relieved. Packing her clothes and some food that the family gave her she said her goodbye's to the owners. But when it came to Izumi , she spoke first.

''My parents are fine with me going along with you.''

''Seriously ?''

''Yes, they said I have no future here so I wanted to ask you if I can and-''

''Of course , just pack your belongings.'' The raccoon spoke happy.  
-End Flashback-  
''No my dear Izumi , I was careful as always . After all , I am the most notorious thief in all Japan .'' Atsuki smirked.  
''Well ,''Night Claw'' sorry if I was just worried for my best friend , she may be a bit of stubborn mule.''  
''Auch ,that hurt , but that is also partially true. And by the way The Golden Katana is in the safe, you can check if you want.''  
''Isn't it dangerous to be so trustworthy with strangers, especially when talking about shiny things?''  
Atsuki laughed a bit. ''You are trustworthy ,Izumi.''  
After a while chatting about the shipments of leafs and dry flowers that are supposed to arrive at noon . Izumi remembered something.  
''Oh my! Almost forgot madam Kazuma wanted to sell some of her tea pots. Are you interested ?''  
''Of course, contact her and schedule a meeting here to negotiate the prices.''  
''Anything else? Asked the green crocodile while writing on her scroll .  
''Yes , ask her to bring her tea pots and the rest of the sets, I would like to see them.''  
''Good , now I am letting you clean yourself with water because you stink and I recommend you to be ready in thirty minutes maximum , paperwork doesn't do itself.''  
And with that the crocodile was gone. In the next hour the successful raccoon was already in her office on second floor signing papers and scrolls for payments. While doing her work she heard a knock at he door .  
''Come in.'' she responded.  
One of the employee entered. The female bunny started.  
''Atsuki-sama , the shipments of leafs and flowers have arrived.''  
''Good , prepare them for tea. Anything else ?''  
''Yes, we found a gift for you in the kitchen .''  
''For me?'' the female racoon raised an eyebrow. It wasn't the fact that she didn't consider herself beautiful , is was that she wasn't meeting anyone , work was too important at the moment for her to have a relationship.  
''Well , it's addressed to you Atsuki-sama''  
Then the bunny in showed the package to Atsuki. It was small enough to be held in a hand. To it was attached a letter.  
''Thank you'' the raccoon said while the bunny put the gift on the table and left.  
Atsuki first opened the letter and started reading it.  
''Dear Night Claw,  
Even though you stole the golden katana that I was supposed to steal, it's quite good to have competition .I am looking forward to seeing you.  
With respect,  
Your competition''  
''Dang it! I was followed by another thief! '' Atsuki face-palmed herself.''And now she or he knows where I live.'' She started pacing now.  
Suddenly, Izumi entered the room.  
''Oh my, it's a secret admirer ? Isn't it ?'' she giggled .  
''NO!, Izumi , the letter is from another thief. She or he wanted to stole the katana too, but I got it first!'' Atsuki yelled as she showed the crocodile the letter.  
''Well, at least the other thief didn't stole it back'' Izumi commented.  
Atsuki gave her the look and run as fast as she could to the basement , where the safe , the equipment and the training room were. Izumi was left alone in the office and saw the package. She smirked at it. This is going to be interesting she thought .  
At the safe, Atsuki started resolving the puzzle, it was a complex mechanism that only Izumi and her knew the answer. Opening the safe , she entered a medium sized room with a lot of money, jewelry and many other precious things in order. The thief was relieved beyond measure when she saw that the katana was safe and sound.  
''Everything is fine Atsuki ?'' a voice yelled.  
''You frighten me Izumi'' the raccoon breathed.  
''I thought that out of the two of us , you were the master ninja.'' The crocodile smiled.  
''Everything is safe and sound'' the ring tailed thief commented.  
''And you didn't open your present my dear friend'' said Izumi as she handed Atsuki the package .  
''Thank you , I will check it later. What I would do without you ?''  
''Probably end up in a prison from the southern isles of Japan ?'' the crocodile smirked.  
''I thought we agreed we shall never mention that incident ever again'' said the embarrassed raccoon.  
The two laughed at the memory and went back to work.  
A few days later , Atsuki entered a rich persons house. Her crystal blue eyes searched for the money of the monkey that did illegal trafficking . She was exited when she opened his safe. But she smiled too soon. There was nothing left of the money, just a piece of paper that said: "For Night Claw'' . Her face was priceless , good luck for her she wore a mask that covered her face except her eyes.  
The incident repeated itself for a few weeks. Every time she did a heist , the other thief was one step ahead of her. Now in her room , she was eating noodles while reading a scroll of the money she earned since she stole the katana. Her business was going well , but her thief activity was downright pitiful . How could she , the Night Claw , fail so miserably ?  
Izumi entered her room with a set of beautiful tea pots. The raccoon could smell the jasmine, her favorite type of tea.  
''It was a good thing we bought madam Kazuma's tea pots, they are beautiful .'' Atsuki started.  
''Don't change the subject Atsuki. Now be a dear and listen to me , I don't want to see you being in such a state.'' Izumi spoke softly.  
''Ok…'' the grey raccoon mumbled.  
'' You are a formidable thief and just because you had a rough time, doesn't mean you are a failure. That thief is just jealous because you stole the Golden Katana before him or her. The things that she or he stole mean nothing compared to what you stole.'' Izumi gently said just as a best friend would.  
''Izumi , I don't know what I would do without you.''  
'Probably end up in a prison from the southern-''  
''Ok! I get it! Geez Izumi, do you really have to remind me again and again ?''  
''Until my last breath Atsuki'' the crocodile said theatrically.  
''Izumi, look. I finished work for today. What should I do now?''  
''Well there is a sushi restaurant a few blocks away. The food is very good.''  
''Have you tried sushi ?"  
'' A few times, it's very good.''  
''Well then " Atsuki smirked as she cleaned herself and prepared her kimono " it looks I'm going to try it.''

At the Sushi restaurant , Rioichi Cooper was the master chief. He was recognised as a formidable cook and his restaurant was the best in the area. While helping his staff with preparing the sushi , he thought of Night Claw. She was perfect. The way she was left him daydreaming every time.  
-Flashback-  
Rioichi prepared his equipment for the heist , the Golden Katana was in the Natsumi palace , the palace was built by a prince in the name of his love. Lovely . It wasn't that the reddish raccoon didn't like romance, he just didn't have time , he started his restaurant business with sushi for a while and it was stressful. He wanted to take a break from work so he wanted to pull this heist . He jumped pass the guards and then he saw a shadow entering throw the window. He couldn't believe it, how dare that thief steal instead of him? That katana will be his. So he followed the shadow. As he watched him the name'' Night Shadow'' rang in his mind. The thief never got caught , and to top it all he was the most wanted in the bingo book. Rioichi was always calm, but now he was jealous. He committed a lot of robbery's in Japan and he was always second. No mater what he did, Night Claw was always better. Well, not tonight.  
As the Cooper thief entered in the center room of the palace he could see Night Claw, he was a she… . Rioichi dropped his mouth , she had forms and just looking at her every fool could see she was an experienced master ninja. Watching her throwing the marbles he observed the metal strings. Dang , he didn't saw them . But he was also mesmerized by her . Like a acrobat she passed the strings, and then when she reached the katana she said something he couldn't hear .She untied the sword on her back , she exchanged it with the golden sword fast and left the fake there. After that Rioichi just looked at her how she left the building.  
Forget the katana .  
Immediately he followed her , jumping on the buildings and after a while he realized she live a few blocks away from him .Unbelievable he thought . Right under his nose.  
-End Flashback-  
Rioichi smiled , after that incident , he left her a present along with a letter the following morning. Furthermore he arrived before her at every robbery and sometimes he left a note just for her. He loved her reactions , the female raccoon was lovely when she was furious . He found out she was Atsuki , the well known female raccoon that owned Sakura Tea House and broke hearts. She was also a workaholic just like him . Her estate was a calm garden in a busy city. Her business was among the most profitable because of the fantastic tea she made along with her garden . Truth to be told , he visited her Tea House . It was relaxing and the tea was delectable . While he was drinking his mint tea he saw her talking to some clients. Saying she was beautiful was an understatement . She had grey fur along with black stripes, hair put in a stylized bun with a green comb , her crystal blue eyes were lovely and her kimono and attire said success from a mile. In his eyes , she was perfect. But the only problem was the fact that she hated him and if he revealed himself she would kill him . Maybe he will give her a break , and then maybe invite her for a heist to work together. Yep , that sounded good for Rioichi .  
His daydreaming buble was poped when his one and only student spoke to him.  
"Uhm... Master Cooper , I think you would like to see this..." The little white canary mumbled.  
"Hisho-san , what did I tell you ?" Asked the elder raccoon while cutting the fish.  
"Not to bother you while cooking..."  
"And what are doing right now?"  
"Bothering you..."  
"Well , when you finish your waiter work , go to the training room and exercise , we are pulling a heist tonight."  
"Ok , but I just wanted to tell you..."  
"What ?"  
"Atsuki-sama is here with a friend!" Hisho said quickly .  
In that instant Rioichi stopped and looked at him.  
"What are you doing here ? Take her command right now if you don't want to mop the floor for the rest of your life!" Rioichi growled at the canary.  
"Yes Master!" Hisho spoke .  
In the restaurant , Atsuki and Izumi were inspecting the menu .  
"Should I order numer 6 or number 11 ? I can't choose." Atsuki asked.  
"I think I will pick that good looking guy over there." Izumi smirked.  
"Yeah...Wait a second there is no good looking guy in the menu" as Atsuki responded she looked in the direction Izumi was daydreaming . Izumi was staring at a bison tree tables away. "Why am I not surprised ?" Atsuki said to herself because Izumi stood up.  
"I am going to talk to him."  
"And you're leaving me alone here?"  
"You're a big girl Atsuki , and when the waiter comes tell him number 10."  
"But... Uhh.. Fine."  
So Izumi left the table. Atsuki looked again at the menu.  
"Yep , number 6."  
Hisho was pacing to her table and gave her a bright smile.  
"Excuse me miss , what are your orders ? "  
Rioichi was looking from the other end of the room , wondering what to do . Then Hisho came to him.  
"Number 6 and 10 , Master Chef."  
As soon as Cooper heard that he left Hisho in the dust.  
Back at the table , Izumi came back laughing to herself.  
"How did it go?"  
"Respectable guy , and we are meeting in three days at the Binje restaurant .What happened while I was gone ?"  
"While you were hunting innocent guys the waiter took the command.""  
"Oh good. So let's chit chat till the food comes my dear. Do you see the lady panda over there?"  
"Yeah... Who wears that obi and kimono ? The colors don't match at all!"  
"I know!"  
Suddenly the wall exploded ,some bandits busted in the restaurant . Everyone gasped . There were 15 thugs and the one that seemed to be the leader spoke:  
"Ladies and gentlemen , you will give us all your money or we are going to kill you!''


	2. Chapter 2

First of all , in my fanfiction , Rioichi Cooper and Atsuki are the same age, 25 or something like that . They also have the same height . Izumi may be a head taller than Atsuki (she is a crocodile after all ) but she is also a little younger than the raccoon. Hisho is the height of Bentley , and now that I think about it , Izumi can be a little bit smaller than Murray. Also Izumi has curves and Atsuki has the stature of Carmelita. And I thought about it , when Rioichi met Sly he looked in his 40' and he was calm , here he is younger and I gave him the personality of Sly when he is a thief. When he is a chef , he is be responsible and all that. And the funny thing is that Atsuki is working she is a lady but as Night Claw , she is cold and the trait of a workaholic that enjoys small things in life still remains in her. Rioichi and Atsuki have to be that way , because people will realiseze they are thiefs. I mean , both raccoons with money , RED flag . And I am not racist . Back on the subject , they are kinda' like Batman if you think about it. My subconscious part of the brain did this.

-  
"Ladies and gentlemen , you will give us all your money or we are going to kill you!''  
"You've got to be kidding me..." Atsuki said quietly.  
"Atsuki, dear , for the love of everything good and fathering in the world , don't do something reckless." Izumi whispered .  
"When was the last time I did something reckless?"  
"I have a list in alphabetical order..."  
Before Atsuki could respond the bandits starded stealing money and jewelry from the other customers. When they arrived at them , someone grabbed her.  
Atsuki felt she was being taken by someone ,but before she could react she was left free.  
"Izumi , where are yo-"  
A reddish raccoon was in front of her holding Izumi. Apparently , the three of them were in the middle of the street now. That was fast.  
"I am Rioichi Cooper .I am the owner of the sushi restaurant . I mean no harm." The male raccoon spoke calm.  
Atsuki was taken a bit back this , someone helped her and he seemed to be the same age as her.  
"Thank you so much , if I could ever repay you... Thank you." Atsuki said like damsel in distress . She had to keep that act.  
"No need to thank me , just help your friend ,get home and stay safe." He warmly smiled.  
"Ok , I get it!" Atsuki told him while she helped Izumi stand up and Rioichi going back into the restaurant. Izumi was stable again and was looking at the building.  
"Atsuki , if you even think about Night Claw getting involved in this... Atsuki? Atsuki !... "  
But the raccoon had already left Izumi alone.  
"Why am I not surprised ?"the crocodile chuckled while going back to Sakura Tea House.

Meanwhile , Atsuki was already in the basement. More exactly in the equipment room. She grabbed her thief costume.  
The costume was made out of black silk. It also consisted with a red belt with pockets full mod small equipment , she had red pockets on her left leg up for small knives and rope , she also had a small pocket on her left arm with suicide pills in case she got caught.  
She had thought a few months ago that if she ever gets caught , all her money and belongings will go to Izumi. Izumi will leave Japan as this happens.  
And the costume also had a red plate on the chest and abdomen , it was made out of a metal that was flexible and could protect her . She was thinking if that provided enough protection from the bandits. This costume was made for sneaking in the dark of the night and going unobserved . She would put herself in serious danger if those thugs beat her. It wasn't the fact that she didn't know how to fight, she was good at it. She didn't spent four hellish years in that damned monastery gods know where in China for nothing . But here and now it was not her domain. Plus , she didn't want to leave Rioichi and the innocent people in her brief meeting with him , she could already tell he is a nice person that had nothing to do with situations like this. Heck , she is not going to leave him alone. Night Claw is finally going in broad light , either she liked it or not.

Back to the sushi restaurant , Rioichi along with Hisho , stood up to the bandits. While Rioichi fought and distract them , Hisho , in his civilian clothes evacuated just a part of people. Rioichi was dressed in his thief costume. Yes , of course it was risky. Of course he didn't want a civilian that paid attention to figure he was a notorious thief . He was the second on the bingo book after all...

Atsuki. She was safe now...and probably on her way here. In the time he knew her , he figured she was a flight to the finish line raccoon. Her stubbornness and ambition made her a different kind of opponent . One that is very dangerous if put in the right conditions. But she also very talented... and pretty. Of course he was going to flirt with her.  
He then asked himself what made her be the most wanted thief in Japan.  
Still , he wanted to beat the bandits before her arrival.

In the split of a second a thick fog was in the room.  
"Dang it!" He said cursing himself.  
The smoke was dark and pretty much nothing could be seen , it was different from the smoke she used at the Natsumi palace. Rioichi wondered how she makes those marbles , he could use them and maybe put them in his family book , Thievius Raccoonus. He was brought back to reality by sounds of bandits in pain. They sounded like they were beaten by someone.  
"Aahhh!" Some tuff voice screamed from the top of its voice.  
"Yep, Night Claw is here..." He whispered to himself.  
Then suddenly he heard a female scream.  
"Oh no!" Was all he could say for the moment. Cooper followed the voice and briefly observed the black fog disappearing in thin air. He followed the voice, it was from the kitchen. The kitchen was a mess , broken walls , broken tables , even broken floor . Then he heard a male voice growl something .

"It looks like the notorious Night Claw is a girl, how lovely." A bandit laughed at the tied up thief." Do you have any idea how much your head is on the black market ? It's millions of yen! Forget the damn restaurant , if you are here ,my friends and I will never ever have to steal! Like never again!" The leader of the bandits smirked.  
"You do realize that I left half of your "friends" invalid for at least three months?"  
"Maybe... But now you are tied up!"  
"Not if I have something to say!" Intervened Rioichi .He then attacked two of the bandits with the help of his cane.  
A distraction was exactly what Atsuki needed. She then used a small knife from the pocket on her left leg and quickly untied herself . While the idiot, oops I mean the leader of the bandits had his attention on the hooded raccoon ,she punched him in the stomach and punched him in some areas on the abdomen so he could remain paralyzed .  
After she beat the leader and Rioichi finnished the rest of the tugs they were left in silence. Night Claw was still in position of attack.  
"I mean no harm." The raccoon in blue hood and eye-mask responded while picking his cane from the ground.  
"Who are you and why did you help me ?" Night Claw spoke from her mask. Only her eyes could be seen and they pretty much said - answer or I beat the living life out of you-.  
"I helped you because..." Rioichi thought a bit for a good answer "...thieves help each other ?"  
The female raccoon rolled her eyes.  
"Ok , maybe this will help..." Rioichi grinned"... I am the competion."  
In that instant three shuriken were thrown at him. He ducked them. Then a very shiny knife was thrown at his head. He ducked that too.  
"You good for nothing piece of-"  
"I can explain!" Rioichi yelled while he protecting himself from the instruments that would kill him if he wasn't a master ninja.  
"Explain what ? You got jealous over the fact that I stole first the Golden Katana? Or the fact that I am the first in the bingo book ?" She boomed.  
"Well..." he ducked another shuriken" At first I wasn't so happy that you took the katana , but as I thought about it..." this time one of the bigger shurikens "... WE could make a good team!"

The attack stopped .  
"Where are you heading in this discussion ?"  
"Your skills plus my skills equal good robbery..."  
"I am going to think about it..." Said Atsuki while picking her things , after a few seconds she said "Calm down, I am not going to kill you... For now."  
"It's a start at least..."  
A few moments passed and Night Claw collected all her shurikens and knifes.  
"The samurai will arrive any second. I recommend you to leave." She spoke.  
"Oh yeah! Totally forgot."  
While she climbs a kitchen shelf and heads to the rooftop Rioichi remembered.  
"Did you enjoy the gift ?"

"Well?"  
"I throw it away after I read the first letter you stalker."  
"Auch... but you are not mad anymore , are you ?"  
"You probably know who I am , so what do you say about meeting at my Tea House , after it closes. I would like to discuss a few things with you."  
"Yes. So it's a date ?" He asked while he climbed on the rooftop with her.  
She gave him a look.  
"Ok , it's not a date." He laughed a bit.

After that , Night Claw was gone. Rioichi immediately changed his clothes. In a few minutes the samurai arrived and he took the act of the owner that was devastated. The samurai left after they interrogated the witnesses and took the bandits . Left alone in his room Rioichi contemplated what happened today. Then a knock on the door was heard.  
"Enter Hisho-san"  
"Yes Master Cooper."  
"What is it my dear student?"  
"I wanted to know if you are ok."  
"I am more than ok , I am happy."  
"Master, not to be disrespectful , but this is not how normal people react when someone destroys their restaurant."  
"Hisho-san, I have enough money for reparations. Plus look at the bright side , I have a date with Night Claw."  
"You mean you lied to her about a heist so you could spend time with her ?"  
"No. I don't know where did you get that idea from." responded the reddish raccoon .  
A few moments of silence passed.  
"So we will go on a heist tonight ?" Asked the canary with a bit of hope.  
"Nope."  
Hisho was a bit disappointed but he couldn't say no to his Master.  
"Now if you will excuse me, Sakura Tea House is waiting for me" said Cooper while fixing his civilian clothes.


	3. Chapter 3

Why hello there people with accounts and visitors, I know it's awesome that you got to read my fanfiction. Buuut, I have school and homework and all that. I will take a break for a while. Don't despair peasants, because your Queen gave you this long chapter that has continuity and is awesome. Also I would like some reviews, I like to know what you think about my story. Plus , I shall return!

"Oh my! My friend was so scared when the bandits came!" A blue crane spoke.  
"I know! Did you know that Night Claw and The Cane were there too? Probably to rob the restaurant." Said an ox.  
"Hey, but at least they helped! rumors say that when the samurai arrived , the bandits were all beaten up!" a female bunny said.  
"Maybe those thieves are not that bad." a yellow snake murmured.  
"Yeah, I mean they only steal from rich." the ox spoke.  
"Did you know that Night Claw was seen once or twice leaving money to orphanages and the poor. Those probably weren't the only times..."  
"Maybe, but they are still thieves and deserve to be put in prison. I mean, Night Claw stole the Golden Katana after all. The Shogun must be mad at him, or her..."  
"Oh please! Like Night Claw, the most wanted thief in all of Japan is a her!"  
"It may be..."  
"Or the guy has a feminine built... Not judging."  
"Yeah, maybe that is…"  
This was the conversation Atsuki eaves dropped. These were the last clients for today and she let the waitresses go home early today. Thus, she served the customers. While cleaning the tables, she couldn't help but listen to their conversation. People would never think she could be Night Claw. Good.  
She remembered what happened at the sushi restaurant.  
-Flashback-  
She entered the building. The moment she saw some of the bandits she threw black marbles. It was the best way to conceal herself in the middle of the day. The black smoke appeared and she started attacking the blind thugs.  
She defeated more than four, she lost counting. Everything was happening so fast and she couldn't see them very well. The black fog was a double-edged sword.  
In the next moment someone kicked he hard in the back and threw her in a wall. She screamed.  
Next thing she knew, the head of the bandits charged at her some knifes. Fast enough, she jumped back, on a table. She threw some shuriken at him, then jumped again on the ceiling and she tried to stabilize herself on the wood (search Japanese architecture so you could understand what I mean or watch Anime). The leader, looked after her. Good luck for her he was a fool enough not look up. Night Claw took another knife from her left leg pocket and jumped at him. The attack was fast and the bandit didn't saw it coming. It would have been a success if in the next second he would put his paws at her neck. He tried to strangle her. The leader then threw her at a pillar and fast enough tied her up. Tied up she kicked the foot of the bandit boss.  
"It looks like the notorious Night Claw is a girl, how lovely." He said while he laughed at her. Several other bandits appeared." Do you have any idea how much your head is on the black market? It's millions of yen! Forget this damn sushi restaurant, if you are here, my friends and I will never ever have to steal! Like never again!" The leader of the bandits smirked.  
Dang it, she needs a distraction. Fast.  
"You do realize that I left half of your "friends" invalid for at least three months?"  
"Maybe... But now you are tied up!"  
"Not if I have something to say!" Some hooded raccoon yelled. He attacked the other bandits while she untied herself.

They won the battle now. There was no bandit left undefeated.  
Examining the other raccoon, she recognize him from the bingo book. He was Cane, named after the odd stick he uses. Well, she saw him fight with the cane, he had an interesting style of fighting. She also didn't expected him here. They were the most wanted thieves in all of Japan. She had her reasons, but what the heck was he doing here?

-End Flashback-  
Yeah, she asked him what his name was even through she already knew it. She wanted to see if he was capable of honesty. Well, he was a flirt , an idiot that made jokes when it wasn't time for jokes and many other things . He had what it takes to beat her. Heck, the fool stole before her a lot of times already. If he could concentrate and stay focused, he would be the first in the bingo book. Good luck for her that he had the mind of a teenage boy. He also showed a lot of skills in battle that she didn't know . Where did he learned those things? Those fighting moves rivaled hers. And she learned her moves from a cult of evil masters that lived in China. Experts and best of the best trained her in the art of fighting. The fact that she used her talent in stealing is because she was trained by Temujin, the leopard of iron.  
Temujin is a she. Rumors said her parents wanted a boy so they left her to an orphanage in South Mongolia when she was little. Atsuki didn't know what her true name was, but the leopard called herself Temujin. Years later she became the best thief in Mongolia and China, the iron cat constructed a monastery. Temujin knew Kung-Fu, the Ninja art and was formidably with swords .Atsuki remembered she was her best student. Other students were afraid of hurting themselves, didn't fight the way she wanted or couldn't understand her lessons. Atsuki was broken minded at the time so she embraced Temujin's idea of life . She was the best student a teacher like the snow leopard could hope for. She trained hard, she was cruel, she committed robberies and she killed. Not one of the most proud things she did in her life time. Atsuki still has nightmares of the people she killed. Their last breath, their last words or screams and the look on their face when she took their life haunted her dreams from time to time. It took her four years of pain, training and countless violence to realize she was wrong.  
But the past is in the past. Temujin can't find her, not now, not ever. Temujin probably thinks she is dead. Well, Atsuki jumped off a cliff in order to escape her and the rest of the rest of her mind-washed students.  
She shouldn't think of these bad memories now, Atsuki thought.  
Izumi then interrupted her dark memories.  
"Atsuki, relax. I will clean the tables. Ok?"  
"Thanks Izu, I needed a break anyway."  
The raccoon left the customers to gossip and Izumi to finish cleaning the tables. Her ribs, right ankle and right shoulder hurt as heck. She may broke a few bones because of the bandit leader. But she had to appear fine. After all, she was to the public eye a fair lady, not that she wasn't in her ''free'' time.

-Flashback-  
The first thing she did when she arrived home from the fight with the bandits, was to fall in her bed. When she waked up, she was being taken care of by Izumi. While Izu clean the wound of her ankle, Atsuki saw her costume on the floor. It was ripped and had a lot of cuts. Her red chest plate was cracked and it could not be repaired. The hole costume could not be repaired.  
"Don't be sad, we are going to make a better costume. It's going to be fine." Izumi reassured her then.

Now, she was walking the stairs to the apartment that Izumi and her shared... the third floor. That was the place where she could be herself. The second floor consisted in a few rooms, her office, the stack of tea supplies and the room where waitresses and other employees exchanged clothes and kept a few of their things, plus the bathroom. The first floor was for the kitchen, where tea was prepared , her kind of tea took longer to prepare, but it was also better. The ground floor and garden was for the customers. And least but not last, the basement, where she was Night Claw.  
She arrived in her bedroom, then went to her a big door and opened it. A closet full of kimono's, dresses, obi's , shoes , hair things and make-up was in there. Every girls dream. The grey raccoon searched a proper outfit. She settled for kimono that was blue, not to lazy, nor to snobby. It was for a relaxed meeting. She got dressed and let her hair free. After she combed it, she put some black sandals and went to the balcony.  
The Dusk was beautiful. Reminding herself her internal speech for the Cane, Atsuki suddenly remembered Rioichi . He was such a gentleman and he helped her escape the bandits . She felt sorry what happened to his sushi restaurant, she would help him as best as she could . Atsuki asked herself why was the Cane there.

The stupid raccoon was probably committing a heist when the bandits appeared.  
Meanwhile , Rioichi , the sushi owner that everyone talked about stood in front of Sakura Tea House. He held a box in a paw/hand/whatever raccoons have and with the other one knocked on the door.  
"It's closed!" Some female voice yelled.  
"My name is Rioichi Cooper!"  
A few moments of silence, then the door was opened.  
"Come in."  
He entered the building and was met by the crocodile companion of Atsuki.  
"Sorry Cooper-sama, but it was a ruff day for Atsuki, she can't have guests tonight." Izumi told him while giving him a host smile.  
"Weird, she just invited me after we left unconscious the bandits." Said Rioichi with a smirk.  
Izumi paled a bit.  
"I will ask her to come down. Would you like some tea?"  
"Mint if it's possible."  
"Of course, take a seat in here or in the garden."  
"In here would be fine."  
The crocodile then went upstairs leaving Rioichi alone. He started looking for things to protect himself from the wrath of Night Claw.

In a few minutes, Atsuki was in front of him. She had her raven hair let down and her crystal blue eyes contemplated the dark blue attire she had on her. Atsuki had a neutral face.  
"So Rioichi, you were the competition all along." It wasn't a question, it was a statement .  
"Yeah..., you are not going to throw any shurikens at me, do you?  
"No but..., forget it. The tea will be ready in twenty or thirty minutes."  
"It may take little bit longer but I know yours is better."  
Atsuki gave him a look.  
"I might visited once or twice your Tea House."  
"...Do you want to take a seat, I am a bit tired."  
"Oh, totally forgot! Here!"  
Rioichi then gave her the box he had been holding for a while.  
"Thank you'' the female raccoon said while opening it. It was sushi. Number 6 on the menu.  
"Don't even think about paying me, it's a gift." The reddish raccoon spoke.  
Atsuki was a bit taken back by that action. But she smiled nevertheless less.  
They both sat down. While Atsuki was eating for the first time sushi, Rioichi told her why he acted the way he did in the last weeks and omitting the fact that he may have a little crush on her.  
"So... If you could accept my apology…"  
"Of course."  
"Really? "  
"Yes. Even if you act like fool, you are a talented ninja."  
"Master ninja." Responded Rioichi.  
Atsuki chuckled.  
"Please. I am a Master ninja."  
Cooper ignored that comment.  
"Ok, so what about you?"  
"What about me?"  
"Tell me your life story."  
"No."  
"Why?"  
"We didn't reach that trust level to tell each our lives stories."

''…''

''…''  
"If I tell you my life story, will you tell me yours?"  
The grey raccoon was tempted. She could know a lot about him. But the problems are that he could lie and she didn't like talking about her past.  
"Sorry, I don't like talking about my life. It's depressing. But we could talk about what we like."  
Rioichi smiled.  
"Of course we can, you can ask me anything."  
"Do you like inducing in error girls?"  
"I'm sorry for being a douchebag" the reddish thief laughed a bit.  
After that they talked about food, business and robberies. The tea came and they talked about funny moments that happened in the middle of heist.  
"Haha... Yeah and then I took the pearls!" Cooper said while he couldn't helped himself from grinning.  
"Hahaha!... Auch. Auuch!" Atsuki laughed to hard this time and her tribe hurt again.  
"Wow, what happened to you? are you ok?"  
"Yes, of course I am ok... Just some scratches from the bandits."  
Rioichi now remembered her scream, theloud thud , broken wall , the kitchen destroyed . Then the pieces of the puzzle formed.  
"How many bones did you broke?" He asked a bit scared.  
He had a few cuts on the left shoulder and legs but then again. He didn't attack the bandits, he was distracting them so the civilians could escape, and she fought with more violence. Heck the bandits she beaten were in an awful condition.  
"Izumi!" He shouted.  
"Yes! Something happened?" The crocodile asked when she came in the hall for clients.  
"Atsuki broke some ribs. Didn't she?" he asked her as seriously as he could.  
"And a few other bones... Don't worry, I will take her."  
"Don't baby me like that Izu! I can do just fine!"  
In the end the discussion was won by Izumi and Rioichi. After they all said their goodbyes, Cooper went home.  
He had to be in form for tomorrow, the builders will reconstruct his restaurant and home. He did in matter of fact wanted to renovate the place.  
When he arrived home he found Hisho in the training room.  
"Hisho-san!"  
"Master Cooper! You're here." The small canary smiled.  
"In flesh and bones my student."  
"How did it go?"  
"She wasn't like I expected."  
"And that is good. Isn't it?"  
"Of course it's good! I expected her to kill me, but she is calm and collected. Plus she laughed at my jokes. Oh, and that laughter… "  
"Sorry to ask, but what did you put in her sushi."  
"Hisho!"  
"Sorry Master..."

Back at the Sakura Tea House, Atsuki was bandaged by Izumi.  
"While you were playing date with Cooper-sama, I found this bandages in the equipment room."  
"Izumi! Please, it was a friendly meeting between some thieves!"  
"Yeah yeah. And I am the Shogun!"  
Izumi thought about it for a while. Rioichi Cooper could be nice influence on Atsuki. Her friend was... complicated to say at least. She went through a lot and if it wasn't for her help, Atsuki wouldn't have made it.  
-Things that Izumi knows about Atuki-  
Atsuki's parents died when she was little and because her sister didn't have enough money, she became a geisha. Nanami, her big sister, was a high class geisha. Because she was at the right age, her mizuage got her a lot and the fact that she was beautiful was a good thing too. What got her lucky was the fact that she was free. Yes, she worked for a geisha house, but she came on free will. This advantage was crucial in having an opinion in that house, so the geisha's house made good negotiations with Nanami.  
Atsuki had a good childhood. Much better than most children at that time. She received an education , she learned how to write and she read a lot .Her big sister read stories to her at bedtime , played with her , bought her everything that she ever wanted, she have her hope and love. Nanami gave everything to her on a silver plate.

Atsuki never had a love life because she didn't care that much about romance. A lot of girls her age had husbands or lovers by that time but not her. Her big sister may had an influence on the chastity thing. The fact that she had a lot of lovers made Atsuki think of herself as an asexual, but she told herself she will find the right guy at the right time.  
Her sister wasn't perfect ,she started to notice this while going through puberty .Nanami was loud , liked activities in park, liked to gossip , she was the extrovert everyone wanted to spend time with .Atsuki on the other hand ,was an introvert, she didn't like noise, she liked drinking tea alone, she didn't have friends, the people she talked to were her tutors , she was a bookworm, she liked the idea of adventure but only in books, she started ignoring her big sister when she became a teenager.  
In her late teens, Atsuki has had enough by that time. They had a serious argument with her sister about their life style. Nanami told her to be outgoing, Atsuki pointed the flaws in Nanami's life.  
They both ended in tears in their rooms, so the other couldn't see. In the following hours, Atsuki packed food and blankets to run.  
So, in the dark of the night she left her life, and her sister. The grey raccoon traveled as far away from Japan. She took a ship and ended in China. From there, everything is a blur to Atsuki. All that the raccoon remembers is the fact that she learned how to fight well enough to protect herself and how to steal.  
Atsuki told about the day Temujin found her.  
It was in a bar, Atsuki was asaulted by some thugs. After she beat them she took their coins. Temujin saw what happened and the next thing the blue eyed raccoon knew, she was in a monastery. Where she could either adapt to the system or live a miserable life. The idea of belonging and proving herself was too good to be true. Well it was. Yes she was trained by Temujin herself and many other masters and thieves but she did a lot of things she isn't proud. She also enjoyed a popularity in being the Head Masters favorite and being the best fighter.  
One night, while commuting a heist , Temujin killed a monkey child so there wouldn't be any witnesses. Temujins decision was cruel. That child did nothing to deserve that. Then Atsuki asked herself if all the other people they killed deserve that. After a while she observed the wrongs in Temujins life style.  
After a few weeks, Temujin told her she would be next Master of the monastery. All her fake friends at the monastery were glad for her , but Atsuki knew they would give everything to be in her place. The snow leopard has been the one that constructed the monastery and gathered masters in every field of fighting , all in the goal of gaining enough power to fulfill their utopia. The grey raccoon had saw this coming for a while, Temujin wasn't as strong as she used to, being in her fifties and her being a young adult now. She didn't have a choice so she acted happy about it. Even if Atsuki didn't want to admit in the present, Temujin was the mother she never had. She was silent, deadly and cruel, everything Nanami wasn't. They were total opposites and Atsuki loved it at first. But the raccoon saw her mistakes.  
So in the day of the ceremony, when Temujin wanted to give her title as a Head Master to Atsuki, she blew up the monastery. She left everyone in there to die. No regrets. Atsuki's last kill.  
It doesn't take a fool to realize that Temujin and the students that survived hunted the raccoon down in all of China.  
Atsuki also told her after an autumn of running from them, she found herself in a quiet village. After a few weeks of serenity in that place, Temujin found her. And when she did, she beat the living life out of Atsuki. The leopard kept telling her she was a failure and so on. Then Atsuki had the inspiration when she used the black marbles. It distracted all of Temujins forces and the raccoon ran as fast as she could. At the edge of the village there was a cliff. The ring tailed thief forgot about it. When Atsuki wanted to go back, she saw Temujin and the rest of her students. She had no choice but to jump of a cliff. When Atsuki jumped, the raccoon could swear that the leopard of iron was smiling. Temujin wanted Atsuki to take her own life. Talk about revenge.

The river saved Atsuki from dying and carried her away. She woke up in the middle of a forest. Her black clothes were wet , Atuki needed to find help. She ripped her kimono and used it as a blanket. She was lucky she still had her tunic and pants underneath. But then she saw blood dripping from her wounds.

While walking, Atsuki asked herself what was she supposed to do now. Find Nanami and apologize. That's what she was going to do.

Six months later,  
Izumi and Atsuki arrived in the hometown of Atsuki. The city was clean and nice, the people were friendly and children were playing with their toys. All these things brought back memories of Atsuki childhood. The raccoon was dressed in a pale blue kimono that had purple flowers on it. It was the first time Izumi saw Atsuki dressed like that. The blue eyed friends started asking about Nanami, the geisha. Nobody gave a clear answer. Some people said she was lost, others that she was a ghost. They didn't understand what was going on. So they visited the old house of Nanami and Atsuki. The owners, some squirrels, were new in town too, and didn't know what happened to the last owner. They said they bought the house from the bank. The next thing Izumi knew, was the fact that was in a bank.

There she saw Atsuki opening a letter , and all she got from the disscusion was that Nanami was dead, before she died she exchanged her house to another one in the center of the town, she also had a nice bank account for when Atsuki returned. The female raccoon got all the papers that day. But her face was dull. Izumi knew that look, Atsuki gave up happiness in that moment. While Izumi found the house, she was a little relieved that they had a place to live. Her problem was the fact that she didn't know what to say to Atsuki. The raccoon was in the cemetery crying over her sisters grave. The crocodile bought and prepared food for a few weeks. Atsuki's depression ended after a fight between them.

''You can't just here all day crying!''

''Yes I can!...Nanami DIED! And she died alone , because of me! I did it ! I ruined her life!''

At this point Izumi managed just to say these words.

''Do you think she would want her little sister ruin her life more than she already has? Do you think she would be proud?''

After that Izumi left Atsuki alone.

Saying those words brought back Atsuki in her senses was an understatement. Furthermore, after that Atsuki, with the money left, created her thief costume. And Night Claw was born.

In the following months, Atsuki had a huge success in heists, she was never seen, never caught. Also in that time, the grey raccoon bought a few buildings in the center of the Town and built Sakura Tea House. Business was going up, they bought a lot of clothes and other girly things they wanted. These few years were exotic, the noise of the growing city that in the same time with the Tea House, the Tea House itself with it's calmness and Atuki's night activities . The best part was that no one thought of Atsuki as a thief. She had the charm of the pretty lady next door and whenever people wondered about her wealth they brush it off saying she had a rich lover or something like that. If they only knew... They got pretty well in life, so well Night Claw committed less and less heists. Up until the Golden Katana heist.

Izumi was really happy for her best raccoon friend. She really needed a bit of sunshine in her life. Even trough Rioichi was himself a thief, she would know somebody else than her was there for Atsuki. Somebody that was an expert himself in the fields Atsuki was inclined.  
Finally. Atsuki would get a boyfriend.  
Speaking of boyfriends, Izumi remembered.  
"Oh my!"  
"What?" asked the bandaged raccoon.  
"I totally forgot I got a date with that hot bison in two days!"  
"Well, good luck with him. I am going to be here for you when everything goes south. Right here with hot noodles and crappy novels about unrealistic love stories!" The thief told her best friend.  
"Aww... You do have a heart Atsu!" The crocodile giggled.  
And the next thing she knew was a pillow in her face.

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